First isolation of Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 027 from a patient with severe persistent diarrhoea in Hungary

A recent Supplement to Clinical Microbiology and Infection entitled ‘Infection control measures to limit the spread of C. difficile’ pointed out that the incidence of C. difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD) has been increasing worldwide, and stressed the importance of research in the fields of epidemiology and infection control [1]. Since 2003, one of the main causes of the increasing prevalence of CDAD has been claimed to be the emergence of PCR ribotype 027/NAP1, which has caused epidemics in North America, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The presence of PCR ribotype 027 in Austria, Japan, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland has also been reported recently [2,3]. The majority of publications have emphasized that the presence of this strain is usually associated with more severe symptoms and signs than those associated with the other more common toxinpositive strains [4,5]. Whereas PCR ribotype 027 was present in the population earlier, the majority of the historic strains were fluoroquinolone sensitive [6]. The overuse of antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones may lead to the selection and emergence of resistant strains, and may contribute to the spread of PCR ribotype 027, which is usually resistant to erythromycin. Here, the Eastern European spread of C. difficile PCR ribotype 027 is reported

Stigmatic attitudes towards mentally ill patients in Hungary between 2001 and 2015: results of a time-trend analysis

Background: Stigmatic attitudes towards people with the diagnosis of mental illness are widespread in the general public [1] and are the major obstacle for successful treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of patients into the society [2]. Given the magnitude of this issue, and in the effort to develop effective anti stigma intervention programs, trend analysis studies were conducted, examining the changes in attitudes over the years [3]. The construct of social distance, which involves the desire to avoid contact with a particular group of people was commonly used to assess stigma. These studies have consistently reported that despite the improvement in mental health literacy of the public, social distance preferences concerning mentally ill patients have not changed over the last 20 years, and in some cases have even increased [3]. However, the number of studies using trend analysis is scarce and mainly limited to wealthier countries because such studies are both costly and time intensive. Consequently, most studies to date have been carried out in North Western Europe whereas data from Central and Eastern European countries, especially from former communist countries, is lacking [4,5]. Objective: In the face of underfinanced mental health system and the lack of any national anti-stigma programs or research, the aim of this study is to shed light into mental illness stigma in Hungary. More specifically, this study aimed to explore for the first time, potential changes concerning attitudes of the Hungarian population towards mentally ill patients. Method: National representative surveys (N=7605) of adults aged 18-53 years were carried out in Hungary in 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2015. An interview was conducted, asking for socio-demographic information and participants' desire for social distance from mentally ill patients, measured by Bogardus social distance scale. In order to put into context the stigmatic attitudes towards mentally ill patients, participants were also asked to report on their social distance preferences towards other minorities in the Hungarian society. Trend analysis was performed to examine the trends of social distance. Results: Time-trend analysis indicated a significant (positive) trend in public preferences for social distance towards more accepting attitudes during the years of 2001-2015. However, closer examination reveals that the effect size is very small (0.05) and the 2015 rejection level is still high (57%) compared to over 60% in both 2001 and 2003. Moreover, during a period of 15 years, mentally ill patients are among the three most rejected groups in the society (with only alcoholics and drug users being more rejected). Conclusions: As was found in other countries around the world, in Hungary as well, stigmatic attitudes towards mentally ill patients are highly prevalent, and have not changed over the last decade. While stressing a worrisome reality in Hungary, where no efforts to tackle mental illness stigma were done, this study also verifies the enormity of the stigma phenomenon. It is evident, maybe more than anything, that much effort is needed in Hungary, but also worldwide, in order to understand and defeat mental illness stigma

Dynamic habitat models reflect interannual movement of cetaceans within the California current ecosystem

This modeling project was funded by the Navy, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (U.S. Navy), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC). The 2018 survey was conducted as part of the Pacific Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (PacMAPPS), a collaborative effort between NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Navy, and BOEM to collect data necessary to produce updated abundance estimates for cetaceans in the CCE study area. BOEM funding was provided via Interagency Agreement (IAA) M17PG00025, and Navy funding via IAA N0007018MP4C560, under the Mexican permit SEMARNAT/SGPA/DGVS/013212/18. The methods used to derive uncertainty estimates were developed as part of “DenMod: Working Group for the Advancement of Marine Species Density Surface Modeling” funded by OPNAV N45 and the SURTASS LFA Settlement Agreement, and managed by the U.S. Navy’s Living Marine Resources (LMR) program under Contract No. N39430-17-C-1982. Other permits included INEGI: Oficio núm. 400./331/2018, INEGI.GMA 1.03 SAGARPA de Oficio B00.02.04.1530/2018 NMFS Permit No. 19091.The distribution of wide-ranging cetacean species often cross national or jurisdictional boundaries, which creates challenges for monitoring populations and managing anthropogenic impacts, especially if data are only available for a portion of the species’ range. Many species found off the U.S. West Coast are known to have continuous distributions into Mexican waters, with highly variable abundance within the U.S. portion of their range. This has contributed to annual variability in design-based abundance estimates from systematic shipboard surveys off the U.S. West Coast, particularly for the abundance of warm temperate species such as striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, which increases off California during warm-water conditions and decreases during cool-water conditions. Species distribution models (SDMs) can accurately describe shifts in cetacean distribution caused by changing environmental conditions, and are increasingly used for marine species management. However, until recently, data from waters off the Baja California peninsula, México, have not been available for modeling species ranges that span from Baja California to the U.S. West Coast. In this study, we combined data from 1992–2018 shipboard surveys to develop SDMs off the Pacific Coast of Baja California for ten taxonomically diverse cetaceans. We used a Generalized Additive Modeling framework to develop SDMs based on line-transect surveys and dynamic habitat variables from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). Models were developed for ten species: long- and short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis delphis and D. d. bairdii), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), striped dolphin, common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), fin whale (B. physalus), and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The SDMs provide the first fine-scale (approximately 9 x 9 km grid) estimates of average species density and abundance, including spatially-explicit measures of uncertainty, for waters off the Baja California peninsula. Results provide novel insights into cetacean ecology in this region as well as quantitative spatial data for the assessment and mitigation of anthropogenic impacts.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Exploring Pompeii: discovering hospitality through research synergy

Hospitality research continues to broaden through an ever-increasing dialogue and alignment with a greater number of academic disciplines. This paper demonstrates how an enhanced understanding of hospitality can be achieved through synergy between archaeology, the classics and sociology. It focuses on classical Roman life, in particular Pompeii, to illustrate the potential for research synergy and collaboration, to advance the debate on hospitality research and to encourage divergence in research approaches. It demonstrates evidence of commercial hospitality activities through the excavation hotels, bars and taverns, restaurants and fast food sites. The paper also provides an example of the benefits to be gained from multidisciplinary analysis of hospitality and tourism

Substance use and psychological disorders among art and non-art university students: an empirical self-report survey

Media stories often suggest that those working in the creative arts appear to use and abuse psychoactive substances. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the use of psychoactive substances and the presence of psychological disorders among art and non-art students. Questionnaires related to these two areas were completed by 182 art students in higher education and a control group of 704 non-art university students. To assess psychoactive substance use, a structured questionnaire including the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was administered to participants. Psychological disorders were assessed using the Hungarian version of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Global Severity Index (GSI). After analyzing the data, significant differences were found between the two groups regarding their first use of psychoactive substances. Art students' current substance use was found to be significantly more frequent compared to the control group. In relation to psychological disorders, art students scored significantly higher on three scales of the BSI (i.e., psychoticism, hostility, and phobic anxiety). Overall, a significantly higher proportion of artists were labeled as "problematic" using the GSI. The results suggest that artists have a higher risk of both substance use and experiencing psychological disorders

The paradoxical role of insight in mental illness: the experience of stigma and shame in schizophrenia, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders

This study examined the factor structure of the Hungarian version of the Birchwood Insight Scale (BIS) and analyzed its association with socio-demographics, diagnosis, internalized stigma, and shame using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with covariates. Mentally ill patients (N = 200) completed self-report questionnaires. CFA supported a two-factor structure. While previous hospitalizations and diagnosis were associated with insight, insight predicted higher internalized stigma and shame. Efforts to increase insight should be matter of importance in the wider spectrum of mental diagnoses. However, such efforts should be conducted with special care as further research is needed to understand the impact of insight on wellbeing

Co-occurrences of substance use and other potentially addictive behaviors: epidemiological results from the Psychological and Genetic Factors of the Addictive Behaviors (PGA) Study

Background and aims: Changes in the nomenclature of addictions suggest a significant shift in the conceptualization of addictions, where non-substance related behaviors can also be classified as addictions. A large amount of data provides empirical evidence that there are overlaps of different types of addictive behaviors in etiology, phenomenology, and in the underlying psychological and biological mechanisms. Our aim was to investigate the co-occurrences of a wide range of substance use and behavioral addictions. Methods: The present epidemiological analysis was carried out as part of the Psychological and Genetic Factors of the Addictive Behaviors (PGA) Study, where data were collected from 3,003 adolescents and young adults (42.6% males; mean age 21 years). Addictions to psychoactive substances and behaviors were rigorously assessed. Results: Data is provided on lifetime occurrences of the assessed substance uses, their co-occurrences, the prevalence estimates of specific behavioral addictions , and co-occurrences of different substance use and potentially addictive behaviors. Associations were found between (i) smoking and problematic Internet use, exercising, eating disorders, and gambling (ii) alcohol consumption and problematic Internet use, problematic online gaming, gambling, and eating disorders, and (iii) cannabis use and problematic online gaming and gambling. Conclusions: The results suggest a large overlap between the occurrence of these addictions and behaviors and underlies the importance of investigating the possible common psychological, genetic and neural pathways. These data further support concepts such as the Reward Deficiency Syndrome and the component model of addictions that propose a common phenomenological and etiological background of different addictive and related behaviors

Discriminative characteristics of marginalised novel psychoactive users: A transnational study

New psychoactive substances (NPS) continue to be considered as a major public health concern in many European countries. The study was implemented within the framework of a transnational project of six European countries (Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal). Our aim here is to report on the distinct and differentiating characteristics of marginalised NPS users. Three subgroups of a total of 3023 adult NPS users (socially marginalised, night life, online community) were examined regarding their socio-demographic characteristics, substance use, and external motives towards NPS use. Poland and Hungary reported higher rates of NPS use in comparison to traditional controlled drugs. The external/contextual motives did not play a central role in the background of NPS use, the least important motives were alleged legality and non-detectability of these substances. Marginalised (defined as those accessing low threshold harm reduction services) users’ substance use patterns are different from the other two groups in terms of showing more intense and riskier drug use. The most important variables which contributed to be categorised as a marginalised NPS user were lower level education, being older, having an unfavourable labour market position and using drugs intravenously. Contextual motives did not play a decisive role in being categorised as a marginalised user when drug use pattern was controlled. These identified discriminative features of marginalised drug users should inform policy makers to develop and implement tailor-made interventions targeting this user group to successfully tackle the elevated public health concerns associated with NPS use